Industrial Placement Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges and variety of experiences during my 12 months with Aldi, whereby the placement’s structure allows a comprehensive insight into the business’ operation. The fast-paced nature of the business and the opportunity to have a positive impact on the running of stores are equally motivating and rewarding. I would certainly recommend the placement to anyone who has a passion for working with people and is willing to work hard and push themselves

The intensive training provided by the store teams and your Area Manager makes you feel valued from the onset of the placement. You quickly become a fundamental member of the store team, gaining respect and trust as a manager from store staff. Completing project work with a potential impact for the business on a national scale also highlights the extent of value placement students are given during their head office training.

Regular support and guidance was provided via my Area Manager mentor during frequent informal updates, this included gaining feedback, discussing my performance and setting targets. Your store manager guides your initial training and their vast knowledge and experience provides a great basis for support. Formal updates with Store Operations Directors are included in each IPs training plan to track your progress and are vital to development.

Aldi operates with minimal staff in comparison to other retailers, therefore your role in the store is instrumental; assuming the responsibility of an Assistant Manager means that you are constantly busy, undertaking a variety of tasks to aid the operation and performance of the store. Store time is heavily target driven to ensure optimum productivity, therefore stores are incredibly fast-paced and efficient. I experienced both a busy and a quieter store, affording me an insight into the unique challenges faced by stores.

The responsibility of running store shifts independently is challenging but equally rewarding. Opening or closing the store for the first time and being responsible for a team of people during the early stages of your training demonstrates the level of responsibility given by Aldi which consequently drives motivation and job satisfaction. Also, the wide variety of responsibility given during the Aldi placement is incomparable, for example recruiting and training staff, to auditing stores and placing stores orders.

My experience at Aldi has provided me with a set of tangible skills that I intend to put into practice during my final year at university and beyond. The knowledge and skills I have developed will be widely transferrable, in particular people management, time management and conflict resolution. During my time with Aldi I feel I have learnt about the successful operation and management of a business firsthand and this will enhance both my future personal and professional development. The placement has also allowed me to become more focused and motivated in terms of what I wish to achieve during my final year of university.

The head office section of my training was extremely organized and structured so that I spent a period of time in each specific department. The staff spent time teaching us about their department and job roles whilst delegating tasks and small projects for us to complete. The overall atmosphere of the office was very professional and in keeping with the Aldi culture.

Aldi provide a comprehensive training plan offering an insight into all aspects of the business that contribute to the Aldi operation. A significant amount of time is invested in structuring our training plans and ensuring they are adhered to; each placement student is provided a detailed training plan when they join the company. In depth training plans are also provided prior to head office and logistics training.

The company invests a vast amount of time and effort into your training and development and this is evident in every element of the training plan. Store training is predominantly ‘on the job’ practical training, however computer tests and skills assessments are implemented to monitor your training. Area Managers and the Director team also dedicate a significant amount of time to your training and development, typically in the format of formal updates with your Store Operations Director or one-to-one training with your Area Manager. However it is also important to be responsible for your own training and development by setting yourself targets to achieve, reading the workbooks provided, asking questions, taking notes and using your initiative to take responsibility from your Store Manager.

Aldi is constantly evolving as a business therefore future employment with Aldi would be an exciting prospect! The placement scheme provides a great foundation for the Area Manager (graduate) scheme as time spent with Area Managers allows you to develop skills required to fulfill the role. Having spent 12 months with Aldi, the Area Manager scheme seems even more appealing!

Unfortunately it has been difficult to coordinate social events between the placement students, as many of us do not live within close proximity to each other. However we attended biannual national Placement Reviews in Manchester for two days which gave the opportunity to socialize and share experiences with fellow Aldi placement students from across the UK. A Christmas meal and leaving meal for the Directors and placement students were organized, as well as a Christmas Night out with store management teams and the Area Manager.

I lived at home during my placement year, therefore the cost of living and socialising was very reasonable.

The Neston region covers a vast area of the North West therefore there are plenty of locations to plan nights/days out.

There is a football team for Area Managers and Directors that placement students are welcome to join.